Tyco and former General Electric executive brings nearly 30 years of
supply chain transformation experience

Meredith Stevens, newly appointed Chief Supply Chain Officer of Newell Rubbermaid, will drive a consistent approach to the company's global operations, unlock the trapped capacity for growth through improved productivity and working capital management, and build the network to support emerging market expansion. (Photo: Business Wire)

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ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newell Rubbermaid (NYSE: NWL) today announced that Meredith “Meri”
Stevens is joining the company in January in the newly created position
of Chief Supply Chain Officer. Stevens will lead all aspects of the
company’s global supply chain, driving a consistent approach to the
company’s global operations, unlocking the trapped capacity for growth
through improved productivity and working capital management, and
building the network to support emerging market expansion.

“Meri brings world-class supply chain capabilities to Newell Rubbermaid
and will play a critical role in driving our Growth Game Plan into
action,” said Michael Polk, Newell Rubbermaid’s President and Chief
Executive Officer.

“Building a market-leading supply chain is one of our most important
opportunities as a company,” said Bill Burke, Newell Rubbermaid’s Chief
Operating Officer. “Meri is a mechanical and electrical engineer, Lean
Six Sigma expert and a respected people leader who has a proven record
of designing and transforming supply chain systems to deliver
step-change improvements in operating performance. She has the perfect
combination of skills and experience to scale our supply chain
capabilities to world-class levels.”

Most recently, Stevens was head of the Global Fire & Security Install
and Service Supply Chain at Tyco. In an eight-year career at what was
originally a $44 billion conglomerate, she built global procurement
teams, drove manufacturing excellence and led the transformation of the
company’s logistics and distribution network. Before Tyco, Stevens led
Strategic Sourcing for media conglomerate Bertelsmann Inc., where she
designed and implemented a new strategic sourcing operation. Stevens
began her career at General Electric in a number of operations
management and supply chain roles, developing significant expertise in
six sigma and lean manufacturing. She has an M.S. in Industrial
Management and a B.S. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Stevens will report to Burke and will become a member of Polk’s
Executive Leadership Team.